At its November 2011 meeting the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board requested Cal/OSHA to convene an advisory committee to address Petition 524. This petition requested that the language in the exception to Section 5199(g)(3)(B), which permits emergency medical services to use P100 respirators for high hazard procedures, be amended to permit the use of N100 respirators when those respirators are appropriate for the environment. An agenda for the meeting is as follows:

Introductions

Background of the exception

How affected employers assess environments in which EMTs work and make decisions regarding respirator use

How affected employers can ensure that appropriate respiratory protection is available to employees in environments in which N materials are not approved

Specific comments on the draft language. The discussion language is attached. This is for discussion only and is not a formal proposal.

If you have questions regarding this meeting, please contact Bob Nakamura at (510) 286-7005, BNakamura@dir.ca.gov